Envelop-feed device.



A. G. MOODY. ENVLFILOP FEED DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED APILB, 1914 1,127,796, p l, Patented Feb.9,1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

- a JAM/-63 A. G 'MGODY. ETQIVELOP FEED DEVICE.

APPLI 0117616]? FILED APR. 8,19%.

Patented Feb. 9, 1915 S HE E 'I' 2 SHEETS A. G. MOODY.

ENVELOP FEED DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILE-D APR. 8, 1914' Patented 'Feb. 9, 1915.

a SHEETS-SHEET s.

sures.

,ANDREW G. MOODY, OF ELGIIT. ILLINQIE.

ENVELOP-FEED DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 9, 1915..

Application filed April 8, 1914. Serial No. 830,367. 7

To all whom. it may concern lie it known that 1, ANDREW G. MOODY, a citizen of the United States. and a resident of Elgin. in the county of 'Kane and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful, Improvements in Envelop-Feed Devices, of which the following is a specilication.

My invention relates to an envelop feed attachment particularly adaptable and useful. in connection with addressograph machines. v

The main object is to provide a simple attachment of this class which can be readily applied to existing :1 dressograph machines and which will with certainty and rapidity feed envelope to an addressograph machine in synchronisin with the addressing machine.

As envelops are-of varying thickness due to the overlapping sid and closure flaps,

and as they may have a tendency to stick together, another object of the invention is to provide improved escapement means for preventing the ejection of more than one envelop at the same time.

Another object is to provide improved means for automatically adjusting the escapement gap at proper times, andto provide manually controllable means for enabling adjustmint of the escapelnent mechanism.-

Referring to the accompanying drawings Figure l is a front elevational view of the attachment, Fig. 2is a side elevational view, Fig. 3 is a sectional view on plane 3-3, Fig. 2, Fig. 4 is a sectional view on plane 4-4-, Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a sectional ;.view on plane 5 5, Fig. 1, Fig. 6 is a sectional view on plane 6+6, Fig. 3, Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional view on plane Fig. 1, of the escapement mechanism, and Fig. 8'is an enlarged sectional view of the escapement mechanism on plane 8-8, Fig. 7. 7

The supportingstructure for the attach ment comprises a bar or rod 10 to whose ends are secured the hubs 11 and 11 supporting the side plates 12 and 12 and the sleeves 13 and 0 respectively. These sleeves receive the rods 1% and 14' which are extended from the machine to which the attachment is applied, the attachment heing adjustable on these rods to be locked in adjusted position by'set screws 15. The plates 12 and 12' sup port journal boxes 16 and 1 G respeptively in" which the shaft 17 is (journaled, this shaft mounting the ejector rum 18. [This ejector drum is divided into sections by annular grooves 19 and each section has peripheral pockets 20 each receiving a pad 21 of frictional material, preferably rubber. There may be any number of such pads per section and as shown each section has three such pads spaced 120' degrees apart, the drum therefore having three sets of longitudinally extending pad sections, three enes velops being therefore ejected for each revolution of the drum. 7

The end plates 12 and 12 support on their inner sides circular plates 22 and 22' having the annular inwardly extending flanges 7e and 23 respectively, these plates .being secured by screws 24. Standards 25 and 25 extending upwardly from the flanges 23 and 23 carry on their tops the rectangular fittings 26' and 26' respectively in the front corners of which are mounted the vertical guides 27 and 27' respectively of angular cross section, and in whose rear corners are mounted similar vertical guides 28 and 287, these guides forming a vertical container and guide structure for the envelops to be ejected, the rear guides extending downwardly below the top of the drum and the lower ends 27 and 27 of the fronts walls of the guides extending downwardlyto to within a short distance of the drum per-iphery to leave a gap for the ejection of envelope. A strap 29 bridges across in front of the lower ends 27 and 27 andhas rearwardly extendin lugs 30 engaging against the outer sides 0 standards 25 and 25 each lug being provided with a slot 31 for receiving a screw 32 for fastening the strap in place and for allowing ready removal thereof. The strap has channels 33 and 33 in front of the ends 27* and 2'7 for receiving plates 34: and 34' respectively, screws 35 and 35" adjustable in the plates extending through vertical slots 36 and 36 respectively in the strap whereby the plates may be vertically adjusted and locked. to project their lower ends any desired distance below theends 27 and 2 '5? whereby to adjust the escapeinent' gapfor the envelops. In front of the drum and in a plane below the ends of the plates 34 and 34' a table 37 is provided, this table having side flanges 38 and 38 slotted to receive screws 39 and 39 threading into the supporting plates 22 and 22 respectively. Guide tongues 40 extend rearwardly from the table and into the peripheral grooves 19 5 in the drum to be below the stack of envelops in the guide structure and to guide the envelops to the apron. Connecting between the rearwalls of the vguides -28 and 28 is a plate 41 which has 1 the supporting tongue 42 deflected rearwardly from its lower edge substantially at the middle of the plate. This tongue supports a forwardly extending plate 43 secured in place by a screw 44, and between the tongue and plate a pad 45- preferably of soft rubber is clamped to overlie the plate. The rear edge of the stack of material, such as envelops, rests on this rubber pad, and the friction of the rubber against the stack will have a tendency to retard or brake movement of the envelops. This rubber support is somewhat higher than the drum in order that the envelops may assume an inclined position with their front edges dipping downwardly as shown in Fig. 5. The machinethus fardescribed will efficiently feed objects such as paper, cards, and will also efficiently feed envelops. However. envelops are of varying thickness due to the front and overlapping flaps, and as they are gummed it may happen that one or more envelops will stick'together. Therefore, particularly when the machine is run at high speed, it may happen that more than one envelop will be ejected at one time, but to guard against this and to make the machine fully reliable at all times and under all conditions of operation, I provide improved escapement mechanism. At the rear ends of the plates 22 and 22 are journal box extensions 46 and 46 journaling the shaft i7, and extending forwardly from this shaft and through the central groove 19 of the drum is an arm 48 terminating at its front end in the guide plate i this guide plate being normallysubstantially in horizontal alinemen't with the ends of 27 and 27 or the lower ends of the plates 34 and 34', the arm being below the top peripheral line of the rubber pads, so that the envelops during ejection movement willpass over the guide plate. Above the guide plate is the bar ()0 adjustable vertically in the pocket 51 provided in a strap 29, the adjustment being effected by means -of screw-52 secured to the bar and extending through slot 53 in the strap. A presser foot -1 fof spring material is adjustably secured to the lowerend of the bar by a screw 5-3" and in its base has holes 56' into I which project the points of escapement pins 57 locired to the bar by set screws 58, as

clearly shown in Fig. 8. I

The normal width of the gap between the presser foot 54 and the guide plate 49 is .of the stack will be such that it will permit no more than four ply to pass therethrough, and the purpose is to always have four thicknesses or plies in this gap in order to prevent more than one envelop from being ejected at one time. By referring to Fig. 5, the length and spac ing of the rubber pads is such that one rubber pad will leave an ejectedenvelop with its rear edge in the gap until the following row of envelop and advanced its front edge into the gap, thus assuring four plies in the gap and preventing the next lowermost envelop from entering the gap and being ejected. Referring to the drawing, the envelop a has been ejected as far as it can by the drum and its rear edge is still within the escape ment gap. The then lowermost envelop engaged by the next pads and will be shifted forwardly into the gap with its front edge overlying the rear edge of the envelop a, and as the envelop b is still further shifted outwardly the friction between the envelops will cause the envelop a. to be fully ejected across the table 37 and out of the gap. However, by this time the envelop b will have been shifted outwardly far enough to bring into the gap its four ply section, that is, the section where the point of the closure flap overlies the overlapping ends of the side flaps, or the pads has engaged the next overlapping ends of the one side flap and v base flap, it being understood that the envelops are piled in the stack with their flaps up and in advance. Therefore, should the next lowermost envelop e have moved with the envelop b, it will find the gap'filled I by the four ply thickness ofenvelop I) and will be stopped from further movement by the escapement points. Of course, beyond the four ply section the envelop again hecomes two ply and the envelop b will after a while present only two ply thickness in,

the gap. However, when this occurs the envelop will be more than one half way out of the gap and the friction between the rear end of the envelop and thenext' envelop will beso small that such next envelop will not follow. Even if it does follow, it can do so for a short distance only, that is only so long as it presents two ply thickness, and as soon as its four ply thickness at the overlapping fiaps reaches the escapement points the envelop will be stopped against further movement, and then when the lowermost envelop is ejected as far as it can be by the drum we will have the relative position shown in Fig. 5, the partly inserted envelop overlying with its front edge the rear edge of the ejected envelop.

It has already been pointed out that by means of the rubber shelf 45 the envelops will assume an inclined position for the purpose of allowing the envelops, particularly the lowermost envelop, to sag down menace ecien-tly atits front end to readily enter the .escapement gap whenthe drum engages with the envelop. When the machine is running at full speed the lowermost en-' velop may not have time enough to sag sufficiently to be in register along its front edge with the gap and it might, when engaged by the drum, strike the gap and hueend the shaft 56 which extends through the opening 57 in plate 22 over a cylindrical icaln disk 58 mounted within the flange 23' on the drum shaft 17, the arm 55 carrying at its outer end the cam bearer 59 for cooperating with "the cam disk. The cam disk has three depressions 60 spaced 120 degreesapart into which the cam bearer 59 may drop to allow downward swing of arm 55Iand rocking of shaft 47 and corresponding downward swing of the arm 4.8 and the guide plate 49 thereon to increase the width of the escapement gap. The cam disk 58 is adjustable onthe drum shaft by means of I set screw 58. The adjustment is preferably such that the guide plate will be allowed to drop just after one set of pads on thedruin leaves the. ejected envelop and before the next set of pads engage with the next lowermost envelop. Referring to Fig. 5, the guide plate will drop just after the pads (Z, leave envelop a and before pads e engage with .theenvelop b. The gap will then be increased and the inner edge of envelop a will. still be within the gap. The front edge of envelop Z) will then drop into the plane of the gap and then the padse willengage with this envelop, and assoon asthe eni fore the envelop 0 gets very far and the escapement points 57 willthen prevent furvelop 'has its front edge inserted in the gap the guide plate will be raised and then en-' velop b by engaging at its front edge with the rear edge of envelop a will complete the ejection of the latter envelop. It may be that the next lowermost envelop 0 will move with the envelop Z2 while the guide plate is lowered. The plate is, however, raised -bether movement of this envelop. Then as the envelop b completes the ejection of envelop a, the envelop 0 will drop and will 2 follow envelop b but only until its four-ply section enters the gap, when it will again. I be, stopped. It very seldom happens, however, that the next lowermost envelop will linto the gap,-t here will then be four ply in follow the envelop being ejected, If the adjnstment of the notch length is madetsuch "that the guidc'plate will remain lowered until the' envelop b has fully ejected envelop a and has broughtits four ply section the gap when the plate is again raised and the next lowermost envelop could not follow. Adjustment can thus be made as desired to prevent more than one envelop from being ejected at one time depending upon the style of envelo 'i, the thickness and quality of the paper, etc. To further increase the range of adjustment 1 provide manually controllable means for adjusting the gap. As shown, the cam bearer 59 is ccccntrically mountedon the shaft 56 and at its outer end the shaft has an arm 61 by which it may be readily turned against its frictional engagement in its bearing. When the shaft is turned and the cam bearer 9 rotated, the arm will be raised or lowcred and thus the normal width of the gap chain 63 with a driving member which may form part of the driving train for the addressograph. Means, also driven in synchronism with the addressograph, are preferably provided for conveying the ejected envelope to their proper printing position in the addressograph. As shown in Fig. 2, conveyer belts 63 and 64'pass around pulleys 65 and 66 in such manner that the inner flights 63' and G l. engage with each other in a plane to receive the envelops ejected over the table 37 of the ejecting device. The belts are intermittently driven and may be adjusted to receive the envelops just after release thereof from the ejector drum, or

after the envelops have been fully ejected from the ejecting device by succeeding envelops,-the envelops being then carried to the addressograph machine.

I do not of course desire to be limited to the precise structure, arrangement and op-v oration shown and described, as changes and modifications are no doubt possible which would still come within the scope of the invention.

I claim the following: 1. In an ejector device for articles such as papers, cards, envelops or the like, the combination of a container into which the an ticles are arranged in a stack, an ejector the gap between said edge and plate, and means for adjusting said guide plate toivary the gap.

2. In an ejector device for articles such as papers, cards, envelops or the like, the combination of a container into which the articlesv are arran ed in a stack, an ejector drum below sai stack forming a support for the front of the stack, a ledge on the container above the drum forming a support for the rear of the stack, ejector pads on the drum for enga 'ng with the lowermost article to sheet rward shift thereof, upper guiding edges on the container in front of the drum, a guide plate below said edge, the articles being shifted by the drum through the gap between said edge and plate, and means for automatically efl'ecting raising of said plate at predetermined intervals tothereby adjust said gap.

3. In an ejector device for articles such as apers, cards, envelops or the like, the comination of a container into which the arti' cles are arranged in a stack, an ejector drum as below said stack forming a vsup ort for the front of the stack, a ledge on t e container above the drum forming a support for the rear of the stack, ejector pads on the drum for en aging with the lowermost article to effect Forward shift thereof, upper guiding edges on the container, a guide 33178 below said edge, the articlesbeing shi drum through the gap between said edge and plate, and means carried by the drum for automatically-effecting raising of said plate and thereby adjustment of said gap at I predetermined intervals.

' 4. In an ejector device for articles suchas papers, cards, envelops or the like, the comcles are arranged in a stack, an ejector drum below: said stack forming a supportfor the front of the stack, a ledge on the container above the drum forming a support for the rear of the stack, ejector pads on the drumfor engaging with the lowermost article to effect forward shift thereof, upper guiding edges on the container, a guide late below said edge, the articles being shi d by the drum through the gap between said edge and plate, a cam lever having connection with said guide plate, and a cam traveling'with said drum and coiiperating with said lever to automatically eii'cct raising of the plate the stack, longitudinal rows of raised ejector d by thestill be within said gap and the front edge of the next article will overlap said rear A edge when said next article is engaged the next row of pads.

6. In a feeding devicefor articles such as papers, cards, envelops or the like, the combination of a container in which thearticles are arranged in a stack, a rotatable-drum below said container for codperating with the bottom of the stack to successively shift the articles outwardly, a ide plate over which the articles are shifte by the drum, 8. vertically adjustable e'scapement foot supported 1 above the guide plate, and means for riodically lowering said guide plateto 111- 3 crease the escapement gap between the plate and the point. v 7. In a feeding device for articles such as. papers, cards, envelope or the like, the combination of a container in which the articles are arranged in a stack, said container hav-- ing an ejector slot, an ejector drum below the front of the stack of articles, a su port for the rear of the stack, and circum erentially spaced apart ejector pads on the drum 0- extending radially beyond the periphery thereof, the front of the stack before engagement of a pad with the lowermost at" ticle resting on the drum periphery in advance of said pad to bring the rent edge of the lowermost-article into re 'stration with the ejector slot whereby sai pad will first. shift said lowermost article a distance into n the slot and will then raise the front of the stack to carry the next lowermost article above the slot to prevent ejection thereof.

. 8. In a feeding device for articles such'as it papers, cards, envelops or the like, the come i bination of a container into which the arti-,

to vary said gap at predeterminedintervals.

pads on said druin spaced equidistantly, said container having an escapement gap for the articles, said ejector pad rows being so spaced that after one row-leaves an ejected article the rear edge of said article will Vance of said pad to bring the bination of a container in which the articles;

ing, an ejector slot, an ejector drum below i the front of the stack of articles, a su port for the rear-of the stack,.and circum'ierentially spaced apart ejector pads on the drumextending radially beyond the periphery 11o thereof, the front of the stack before engagement of a pad withthe lowermostfir- V tic e resting on the drum perig hery'in a'djontedge of are arranged in a stack, said container hav- -io5 the lowermost article into re the ejector slot whereby sai pad will shift said lowermost article adistance in to-F; the slot and will then raise the front of the stack to carry the next lowermost article.- abovethe slot to prevent ejection thereof, no and means for increasing the depth of the slot just prior to the engagement of'a pad withnn article whereby entrance'of the; lowermost article into the slot is assured when said article is first engaged by the d. 1:;

9. In a feeding devicefor articles suc as papers, card, envelops or the like, the com-v bination of a container in which the articlg are arranged in a stack, an ejector drug) 7 having raised circumferentially 'spaced 1T0 istration :with 116' stack is again raised to bring the next lowermost article above the gap to prevent ejection thereof with the lowermost article.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe 15 my name this 25th day of March, A. D., 1914.

ANDREW G. MOODY.

Witnesses C. J. SCHMID'I, EMILIE Rose. 

